Strolls on the banks of the Eure in Chartres and the Loir in Châteaudun and Vendôme

It is the first thing you see, this masterpiece listed as World Heritage by UNESCO: Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral. This 12th and 13th century architectural gem has two steeples looking over the Beauce countryside.

In spring, Chartres lights up and offers its architecture in all its glory along an entertaining, poetic trail. Fourteen of its monuments are animated by light and music.

In Châteaudun, things are not quite what they seem:

overlooking the Loir Valley, the castle with its forbidding fortress-like appearance and an imposing dungeon actually hides a comfortable home in which gothic and renaissance styles set each other off harmoniously.

An original set on the theme of "Cooking, a lifestyle art in the Middle Ages" will initiate you into the festive and culinary practice of 15th-century princes.